1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus comprising an edge-engaging assembly and a method of fabricating such edge-engaging assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, an LCD apparatus can be used as a monitor of a notebook, a desk computer, a mobile communication apparatus, etc., or as a main body of a television or a digital photo frame. It usually comprises a backlight assembly and an LCD panel assembly. A traditional backlight assembly usually comprises a plurality of optical plates, a light guide plate and a reflecting plate. A traditional LCD panel assembly comprises two pieces of glass substrates and liquid crystal material which is injected between said glass substrates. In the process of assembling the LCD apparatus, an engaging member is needed to engage the edge of the backlight assembly and the LCD panel assembly, so as to stack and fix the backlight assembly and the LCD panel assembly together.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which illustrates a traditional LCD apparatus 1. The LCD apparatus 1 comprises a backlight assembly 10, an LCD panel assembly 12, a bezel 14 and a back cover 16.
As shown in FIG. 1, the back cover 16 has a bearing space to accommodate and fix the backlight assembly 10. The four corners of the back cover 16 have positioning bumps 166 which extend upward for positioning and settling the LCD panel assembly 12.
In order to fix the LCD panel assembly 12 with the backlight assembly 10, the bezel 14 is adapted to settle on the edge of the back cover 16. The edge of the bezel 14 has an engaging structure 144. The edge of the back cover 16 has an engaging structure 164 which can be engaged with the engaging structure 144 of the bezel 14. The LCD panel assembly 12 can be fixed to the backlight assembly 10 via the engagement of the bezel 14 and the back cover 16.
As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD panel assembly 12 has an external connecting circuit 122 for connecting a controlling/processing circuit (not shown in FIG. 1) of the LCD apparatus 1. Correspondingly, the bezel 14 has an opening 142 for the connecting circuit 122 to pass through the opening 142 and appears externally in the assembly process.
Both the bezel 14 and the back cover 16 can be generally made of a metal sheet by punching process. Moreover, the back cover 16 can also be made of a polymeric material by injection molding.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating several semi-finished bezels 14′ by continuously punching molding modeled on a metal sheet M1. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the semi-finished bezels 14′ has a low area ratio on the metal sheet M1 and must be a closed frame. Therefore, the numbers of the semi-finished bezels 14′ which can be fabricated of the metal sheet M1 is not too many. The oblique-line area marked on the metal sheet M1 is the consumables.
Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a partial view of the bezel 14 and its cross-section. As shown in FIG. 3, the bezel 14 has an L shape cross-section structure with weaker stiffness.
Obviously, the engaging member which engages and fixes the backlight assembly and the LCD panel assembly of the LCD apparatus in the prior art should be further improved.